Outcome following treatment for Helicobacter pylori in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study was to investigate any association of Helicobacter Pylori (HP) in recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) and the effect of eradication of the microorganism in the clinical course of the disease.

STUDY DESIGN: Forty-eight patients with RAS were included in the study. Twenty-six were women and 22 men, of average age 41.3 +/- 2.44. Thirty-four out of these 48 patients were HP positive and the rest 14 who were negative were used as a control group. The diagnosis of HP infection was based on the detection of specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), and immunoglubulin A (IgA) antibodies using the enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay technique in the serum and the saliva of the patients. In all HP carriers an eradication therapy was administered. After a 2-month period the patients were checked for HP status, using 13C-UBT. The follow up period was 6-12 months following the eradication therapy.

RESULTS: At entry patients with HP infection suffered from more severe symptoms compared with HP negative patients (P < 0.05). After the administration of HP eradication therapy, patients who had become negative showed a remarkable improvement (62.5%) with reference to recurrence of RAS as well as to symptom intensity. In 29.2% of patients symptoms had disappeared and in 33.3% of patients there was a decrease in both the frequency of recurrence and the intensity of symptoms. After the eradication treatment, the periods between recurrence of RAS in patients who had become negative were statistically significantly longer compared with those before treatment (P < 0.001). Another important observation was that patients who became negative after eradication therapy were of comparable clinical status with those who were HP negative from the beginning of the study (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the concept of a potential association between RAS and HP.